Heung-Min Son: 'Victor was a beast when I played against him!'

Heung-Min Son joked that he was scared of playing against Victor Wanyama when he first encountered him on a football pitch!

The South Korean international found himself opposing our midfield powerhouse when his Bayer Leverkusen side travelled to Southampton for a pre-season friendly in August, 2014.

Victor was at the heart of the Saints’ midfield that day at St Mary’s and, although Sonny’s team escaped with a narrow 1-0 win, the charismatic forward admitted that he found Victor’s imposing presence on the field tough to deal with as he set about trying to break Southampton down.

Looking back at the Kenyan international’s superb debut season in our colours, Sonny – currently recovering from surgery on a fractured forearm sustained on international duty last week – told us in May: “I was really a fan of Victor when he signed because when I was with Leverkusen and I played against Southampton, I saw him for the first time and he was a beast – I was scared to play against him!

“When he signed, everyone knew what he could do from when he played for Southampton and I enjoy watching him play. I think he’s done very well for us and he was very important during the season.”

Sonny went on to explain how Victor’s presence in front of the defenders gives him added peace of mind when he’s working away looking for openings further forward.

“Victor is a really, really good player,” he added. “I’m an offensive player, an attacking player, but when I feel that behind us we have Victor and Mousa Dembele, I feel comfortable.

“If sometimes I lose the ball, I still feel comfortable because in behind me are, for example, Jan, Toby, Eric, Mousa and Victor. Every player who plays at the back makes it more comfortable to play in my position.”